SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A former Sanford school resource officer has been jailed after police said he was caught engaging in “inappropriate conduct” with a 17-year-old student.
In a release, police said they were notified about the officer — identified as Pedro Enrique Da Silva, who worked at Seminole High School — last month after communications between him and the student came to light.
Da Silva was soon fired and a criminal investigation kicked off which revealed that he’d been engaging in several inappropriate interactions with the student between October and Dec. 17 while he was on duty, police said.
“In one interaction, Da Silva made a lewd statement to the victim, then took out his phone and showed her several explicit pictures of himself,” the release reads. “This interaction was corroborated by surveillance footage.”
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As such, Da Silva was ultimately arrested on Wednesday, and he now faces the following three charges:
- Written solicitation of certain minors to commit a lewd/lascivious act
- Sex offense involving an authority figure soliciting/engaging in sexual conduct with a student
- Showing obscene material to a minor
Police Chief Cecil Smith stated the following after Da Silva’s arrest:
“The officer coming forward identified that there was an issue or concern and reported it immediately. This is an example of what I expect from every single one of my officers. This man’s actions can be described as nothing but vile, disgusting, and repulsive. This type of conduct will not be tolerated.
His duty was to protect the children on that campus, and instead he acted as a predator, using his position to manipulate and attempt to groom a 17-year-old child. He is a husband and a parent himself. How sickening is his conduct? To be clear, he is a predator; the worst type of criminal.”
Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith
According to the police department, Da Silva had been employed as an officer since June 2024. He was assigned to Seminole High School as a school resource officer last year between July 28 and Dec. 17.
Anyone with more information or who potentially experienced other inappropriate interactions with Da Silva is urged to contact the police department, or Crimeline at 800-423-8477.